That left the bossless Black Cats rock-bottom but Republic of Ireland man Wilson insists they were the best team on the day and should have got more from the game.

“We’re disappointed we conceded an early goal and I thought we could have scored a few but I think performance-wise we were better,” he said.

Lewis Grabban had the best of Sunderland’s chances but couldn’t get past in-form shot-stopper Darren Randolph.

“That’s the fine margins of the game,” said Wilson. “But to be fair to Grabbs he’s scored goals for us as well so you’ve got to take the punches sometimes.

“We worked hard this week in training to nail down the shape and be solid as a team. I thought the boys worked really hard to be honest and we got on the ball at times, we just weren’t ruthless enough.

“As a unit we’ve got to be more solid, not just as a defence but a whole team. I think we showed more signs of improving that. We were a little bit more resilient.”

Sunderland skipper John O’Shea believes the result came down to luck - and Randolph.